Exposed
by lightbluebubblesx
Summary: Welcome to Darigan City, a place where you stand powerless. Meet the Grays, a family who holds a dangerous secret. Little did they know that another family happens to possess the same secret…
1. Hidden

Exposed

Chapter One: Hidden

Summary: Welcome to Darigan City, a place where you stand powerless. Meet the Grays, a family who holds a dangerous secret. Little did they know that another family happens to possess the same secret…

A/N: Hello readers, it's Jessica! :) I'm super, super excited to be writing this story. I hope that many of you will read and review. And in your reviews, I'd like you to tell me your honest opinions. If it's good, bad, somewhere in between; I need to know so I can improve for next time! Okay, keep moving forward for chapter one!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except Darigan City. Maybe. I'm not sure...is that a real city??

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Shane looked out the window, and then closed the curtains quickly. "Nate, they're gone." he whispered yelled.

I crawled out from under the staircase and dusted myself off. "Why don't you just scream that out the window?" I replied sarcastically.

Shane rolled his eyes, as he always did when I made a sarcastic comment.

"Guys, let's not fight. Have some pudding!" Jason held up a small cup filled with chocolate pudding.

"No thanks." Shane and I said. We both hated chocolate pudding. Hm, I guess we _were_ related.

"Whatever." Jason shrugged it off.

Shane then got up from his position on the floor and began looking through the refrigerator for a before-school-snack.

"Mom and Dad couldn't find a stinking hobby." I joked.

Jason cracked a smile. "Yeah, I know. If the government finds out, you'll get kill--"

"Stop talking now."

"Sorry."

Shane poked his head out of the fridge with a piece of ham in his mouth. He slammed the door closed and sat at the kitchen table chewing the ham slowly. After swallowing he said, "The government won't ever find out. We happen to be experts in hiding people. FOREVER."

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Do you wanna live or not?" Shane asked me.

This time, I rolled my eyes and stared at the kitchen floor, trying to count all of the tiles.

"We really should move out of this crap city." Jason said suddenly.

We all looked at each other and knew why we couldn't.

Money.

When we got started in Darigan City, the government provided us with a home as they did with everyone. It seemed nice here at the beginning until we learned about the strict rules and how all of the citizens--if you could call them that--were powerless.

At that moment, a sharp knock on the door rang through our ears. It was time for Shane and Jason to go to school, a place I was never allowed to be near.

Jason signaled me to hide and I did. Shane opened the door when I was in my hiding place and two people from the government, dressed in black as always were there to escort Shane and Jason to school. They had to make sure that they followed rules and didn't get into all kinds of trouble.

"Hey, Lucas!" Jason said, greeting the taller guy.

This next part, I'm not sure if it happened or not, but I think Lucas…smiled at Jason.

Well, who wouldn't love Jason? He was always happy and was nice to everyone whether or not they were nice to him.

Shane, on the other hand was a lot different. The only resemblance he had to Jason was that he was his brother and was a boy. Other than that, they were more different than the United States of America and Darigan City.

I finally got the will to stop thinking about the differences of my brothers and noticed that the house was empty.

My parents were off at work.

Shane and Jason were at school.

I was alone.

I sighed and sat on the bottom step of the stairs, looking around the house. It was quiet and peaceful.

That is, until a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

-----

A/N: Super short, I know. I wanted to get this online, so I stopped it there. Cliffy! :O Who do you think is at the door? Leave your guesses in the form of a review! ;] Until next time, sayonara! [Don't even ask.] ~J


	2. Room 17

Exposed

Chapter Two: Room 17

Summary: Welcome to Darigan City, a place where you stand powerless. Meet the Grays, a family who holds a dangerous secret. Little did they know that another family happens to possess the same secret…

A/N: And so I continue! :] Please read and review as always. Thank you so very muchhh!

Disclaimer: In the mall...up and down the escalators...in the mall! I got a hankerin' for potaters in the mall. [In the mall] Oh, oops. Sorry, that's from Phineas and Ferb. I own nothing! But I wish I owned that song. Heehee. :)

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I froze up. If the government was at the door--who else would it be?--then I was toast. And if no one answered the door, they were probably most likely going to bust in. This was another one of their "house checks"; I was pretty sure.

The doorknob started turning. I started sweating all over and in some places that I don't want to mention. I quickly, but quietly, ran up the stairs and hid in a secret room in Jason's closet.

Footsteps. And heavy breathing.

Breathe, Nate. You've done this a million times before. Why would this time be any different? Maybe it was the fact that this time, Shane, Jason, and my parents weren't here.

I was alone.

Again.

-----

At Darigan High School, students were moving through the hallways rapidly. The principal was always looking for someone who "stopped to smell the roses" and the punishment was not going to be pretty.

"Keep moving; don't dillydally!" Principal Wrigley barked viciously to passing students.

Shane tried to hide his laugh, but failed. He roared with laughter, while Jason continuously tried to shut his idiotic brother up.

"Shane!" Jason scolded.

"Mr. Gray." Principal Wrigley peered down (more like glared down) at Shane. He was 6'8 and growing still. On his body was a dull gray suit with a navy blue tie. On his head was, well…nothing. To put it in simpler terms, Principal Wrigley was unmistakably and utterly bald.

"Principal Wrigley…lookin' good today!" Shane stalled.

"Room 17. NOW." The bald man ordered in a voice that could make a little kid pee themselves.

Shane sighed and lowered his head. "Yes, sir." He stalked down the hall, wishing for the best.

Jason watched his troublemaker of a brother leave and shuddered at the thought of what might happen to him in Room 17.

-----

After an agonizing three minutes of searching, Shane came to and stopped in front of an old wooden door. The doorknob had something green on it. Shane winced in disgust. There wasn't a window to see inside the room as all the other classrooms in Darigan High did.

Once Shane was through arguing with himself whether or not to go in now or later, he thought it would be best to get it over with instead of ditching it and ignoring like he did with all of his other punishments and responsibilities. He put his hand on the side of the doorknob that had nothing green on it and turned slowly. The door flung open and the kids inside shot their heads up to look at Shane.

Inside were seven boys and girls scattered across the room. The walls were completely wood and there were no windows: None at all. The pungent aroma of expired cheese and turds filled the room. Shane couldn't even find an air vent in the room that would take some of the stinky smell with it to other rooms.

It was official: The students who got themselves into Room 17 were being held hostage--at least until school was over, anyway.

Shane looked down at his feet while making his way to a cubicle (a desk boxed in except for the area where you can get out). He noticed the gray paint on the floor peeling off, revealing a deep brown floor color.

The oldest Gray of three brothers sighed, plopping himself down next to a girl. She was brunette and her hair was wavy. She had side-swept bangs and dark brown eyes the color of chocolate. Shane smiled slightly. She was obviously pretty.

"Sorry, Mitch. I had to go to the bathroom." A girl with lighter brown hair sat next to "Mitch".

"It's okay, Caitlyn. I'm just so glad the teacher hasn't come in yet."

And they both shared a shudder here.

Caitlyn looked up and saw Shane staring at them. "Oh, hi. You're Shane, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?" Shane asked.

"Jason's my lab partner. He tends to chat a lot." Caitlyn explained.

"Oh." Shane nodded.

"I'm Caitlyn, by the way. And this is my sister, Mitchie." Caitlyn gestured to the girl that Shane couldn't take his eyes off of.

"So how'd you get in trouble?" Mitchie piped up.

"Laughing at Principal Wrigley." Shane rolled his eyes at the thought of the bald man in an ugly suit.

"Did he use the word 'dillydally' again?" Caitlyn asked knowingly.

"Yeah. What did you guys do?" Shane looked at the girls curiously. He couldn't believe that two innocent-looking girls could get into such trouble.

"I gave Ms. Sankovich a nickname." Caitlyn smiled, remembering.

"Did you call her Ms. Sankobitch?" Shane asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah! I guess it kind of got around." Caitlyn laughed.

Shane then turned his focus on Mitchie. "What did you do? I find it very hard to believe that a girl like you got in trouble."

Mitchie laughed and replied, "Humming in class."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Humming?"

"Mitchie's a musical person. Loves to sing, play guitar, piano--"

"Caitlyn!" Mitchie glared at her older sister.

Caitlyn pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw the key out the imaginary window.

"You sing?" Shane asked, amazed.

"Yeah!" Caitlyn piped up. "She's really--"

"Caitlyn." Mitchie said sternly. "What happened to you shutting your mouth?"

"Oops." Caitlyn then pretended to zip her mouth back up.

Shane smiled. Room 17 didn't seem all that bad until--

"GET IN A SEAT NOW BEFORE I EXPELL YOU!" Ms. Jordan, the teacher of Room 17 yelled to frightened students. She looked each student in the eye evilly, then sat at the front of the room while teenagers scrambled to a cubicle.

Shane didn't hear a word Ms. Jordan said (or yelled) and continued staring at Mitchie like she was his angel from heaven.

But let's not get too sappy here.

"YOU!" Ms. Jordan pointed a long, thin finger at Shane.

Shane immediately snapped out of his trance. "Me?"

"Yes. I want a hundred jumping jacks in the corner. NOW."

"But what did I--?" Shane started.

"Don't play dumb with me! One hundred!" Ms. Jordan glared.

Shane, seeing that it was useless to keep fighting with Ms. Jordan, sighed and trudged to the corner to begin his repetition of jumping jacks.

"He didn't even do anything!" Mitchie exclaimed, defending Shane.

"Torres! Jumping jacks with Gray! NOW!" Ms. Jordan pointed.

Mitchie stood up and took her place next to Shane without even a single word.

One…two…three…

_This is pointless._ Mitchie thought. She looked up to see Shane smiling at her.

"Thanks." Shane mouthed.

Mitchie replied with a sincere smile.

-----

"Shane, how was it??" Jason asked Shane. They were being escorted home as usual and Jason was eager to hear about Room 17.

"Awesome." Shane sighed happily.

"Wait, what? I thought Room 17 was torture, agony!" Jason said, confused.

"Yeah, it kinda was. But I met this girl--"

"Here we go again." Jason rolled his eyes at his brother. "What's her name?"

"Mitchie." And the name came out in a long sigh, filled with joy and topped with love. "She's not like other girls, though. She's smart, independent, and--"

"Pretty?" Jason guessed.

"Gorgeous." Shane corrected. "And she has this cool sister named Caitlyn."

Jason nodded. "They sound cool."

Talking about Mitchie and Caitlyn made time fly by and pretty soon, Shane and Jason stood in front of their house. The escorts left and Jason opened the door to a quiet, serene home.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" Jason called out.

Silence.

"It's Shane and Jason!" Shane tried.

Nothing.

Jason shut the door behind him and called out again, "Nate!"

No response.

"He's probably just trying to pull a prank on us." Shane told Jason.

"Oh." Jason nodded.

The brothers split up and looked around the house in every nook and cranny on a search to find their youngest brother. Jason tried the secret room in his closet, but there was nothing but clothes. Shane tried under the staircase and in the attic, but again, there was nothing but boxes and dust. They both met back up in the kitchen.

"You don't think he went out exploring, do you?" Jason glanced out the window and stared at the forest near their house.

"No…'cause that would be the stupidest thing anyone could do. He could get caught--Jason." Shane froze.

"What?" Jason urged.

"What if he already got caught? What if he's dead?" Shane panicked. This was a new level for Shane. He never panicked and never worried for his brother like this. Perhaps the reason why he never acted like this was because Nate was always okay. And safe.

"I don't wanna hear this 'What if?' stuff, all right? Just keep telling yourself that he's okay. He's 16 for crying out loud." Jason said firmly. And this was a side of Jason that Shane had never seen.

Shane's brotherly instincts kicked in and Jason's logical reasoning had arrived.

What was happening to this family?

The two brothers stared into space, worrying for Nate.

And that's when they noticed a yellow piece of paper on the refrigerator.

Jason ran to it with super speed and stared at it.

_Hey, guys. Don't go to freak-out mode, 'kay? I got really bored here and went out to the forest. Fresh air is always good. :] Anyway, I'll be back really soon. -Nate_

Shane peered over Jason's shoulder. "The forest? Pfft. If he wanted some fresh air, he could've cracked a window, taken a whiff, closed it, and then lay on the couch and take a nap. Instead, he had to go to the freakin' forest and give us heart attacks!"

Jason had to agree with Shane. "You're right. Should we go looking for him?"

"Well, I've got nothing to do."

"What about your homework?" Jason pointed out.

"I didn't say I was gonna do it." Shane laughed. "Let's go!"

-----

I hoped my brothers had found the note. Those idiots. They probably spazzed and made a big deal about me being "missing" and just NOW found the note.

"Nate!"

Oh, great. They came to find me too. I wasn't that little. So why did they keep treating me like a baby?

"Thank God we found you." Shane panted, out of breath.

"I'm fine, like I said I was gonna be." I sighed. Brothers were so difficult at times. They wouldn't get off your back for a second. But I knew that the reason they did the things they did was because they cared.

Well, it seemed like it.

"Nate, how could you run off to the forest and leave a note on the refrigerator, thinking that we'd be smart enough to find it?! You're lucky we did and came here and found YOU before the government did! Do you know how much trouble--" Jason cut off abruptly. He stared behind me, frozen with fear and shock.

I noticed that Shane's expression matched Jason's. What was behind me…?

"Guys…" I started.

Shane shook his head and pointed behind me. "Nate…don't turn around. Just run out of here as fast as you can."

"Why?" I asked nervously. Surely, it wasn't the government. It couldn't be…

Could it?

"Guys, what or who is behind me???" I asked, frustrated. I could've just turned around instead of asking my idiotic brothers. But I was kind of…scared to turn around.

"Someone who has a lot in common with you." The voice behind me said.

"A lot in common?" I repeated. That could mean a lot of things. But one thing stuck out in my mind.

_Third child…think about it, Nate! What else would she have in common with you? And how would she know unless she heard Jason's little rant?! Face it! She's exactly what you are!_

Stupid voice in my head.

I slowly turned around and came face-to-face with a girl slightly shorter than me.

"You're not the only third child."

Not…the only…third child?

-----

A/N: ANOTHER third child? No freaking way. This is just another trick by the government, right?! Only one way to find out…REVIEW. :) ~J


	3. Alex Russo

Exposed

Chapter Three: Alex Russo

Summary: Welcome to Darigan City, a place where you stand powerless. Meet the Grays, a family who holds a dangerous secret. Little did they know that another family happens to possess the same secret…

A/N: I'm so excited to keep continuing this story. :) Expect one-shots soon! Obviously Nalex…or maybe Smitchie. Not sure. Anyways, this is kind of a filler chapter. I've been having writer's block for this story lately. :P Hope y'all like it anyway!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything! Oh, the things I could do if I owned Alex and Nate. -evil laugh-

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The girl stared at me, waiting for some sort of reaction. But I couldn't exactly find the right words to say…

"Don't listen to her." Jason blurted out. "She might be in on this with the government."

"Good thinking, Jase." Shane nodded his head and glared at the girl.

"What are you guys talking about?! Why would I be working with the government? I have to hide from them day-to-day!" The girl shouted. She looked furiously at Jason and Shane. Why did my brothers have to constantly anger girls?

"Guys," I looked at my brothers. Maybe they shouldn't just jump to conclusions like that. Maybe this girl _was_ a third child like me. "Be reasonable. Maybe she isn't with the government."

And then Shane blew up. "Are you CRAZY?! Of course she's with the government! What are the freaking odds of another third child just like you?!"

"I don't know!" I yelled back. This was getting a little too--

"Shane, chill out! This is why I like birds more than you sometimes! They're so calm and--"

"WAIT!" The girl interrupted suddenly. Was she going to confess that she was part of the government? Or was she going to prove that she _was_ just like me?

We all calmed down for a minute and let her talk. Technically, Jason and I calmed down. Shane was still fuming. I wondered if Darigan High had an anger management program.

The supposed third child looked at Shane. "Your name's 'Shane'?" She said his name slowly.

Shane plastered a confused expression on his face. "Uh-huh...why?"

The girl grinned like she just won the lottery. "Is your last name 'Gray'??" Whoa, was she stalking us? Maybe Shane and Jase were right about the government thing…

"How do you know what our last name is?" Jason demanded. It was official: My brothers got abducted and were replaced with clones. They weren't acting like themselves at all.

This time, the girl calmed down a bit and said, "Because my sisters are Caitlyn and Mitchie." Wait, what did that have to do with anything? I didn't know a "Mitchie" or a "Caitlyn"...but apparently, my brothers did.

"SHUT UP!" They screamed. Then they both began talking gibberish and other things that I didn't understand. It sounded like a baby trying to talk mixed with something dying and Jason figuring out that he won an eagle as a pet. Talk about confusing.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I yelled over all of the talking. "Who are Mitchie and Caitlyn?"

"My dream girl and her sister!" Shane blurted. He instantly covered his mouth and the girl whose name I still didn't know, giggled. Jason just kept grinning in a really creepy way.

"Mitchie and Caitlyn go to our school." Jason explained.

I sighed. At least I got some decent answers. But my Q&A session wasn't over.

-----

Around dinner time, Shane and Jason left because they knew the girl (yeah, I still didn't know her name) was safe. This is what I knew so far:

The girl was a third child and had two older sisters, Mitchie and Caitlyn. Mitchie and Caitlyn went to school with Shane and Jason. Shane met Mitchie and Caitlyn when he got in trouble and got sent to Room 17 by their principal. Shane and Mitchie already fell in love and after school ended today, Mitchie kept talking about Shane to the girl and Caitlyn. The girl then went to the forest 'cause she got bored like how I always do and then accidentally ran into me and my brothers.

"So, you're REALLY a third child?" I asked for the thirty-ninth time.

She sighed. I thought she was getting annoyed with me. "Yes. For the thirty-eighth time."

"Thirty-ninth." I corrected, grinning.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Whatever."

I looked at the sky and saw that the sun was almost out of sight. "I guess I'd better get home. Don't want my brothers to start spazzing again." I laughed.

She simply nodded absentmindedly.

"Hey..." I had to ask her, before I forgot about it.

"What's up?" She asked.

"You never told me your name." I said. All this time, we've been talking and we didn't even know each other's names.

"Oh. Duh." She slapped her forehead lightly and smiled. "Alex. Alex Russo." She was about to leave, but turned around before taking another step and looked at me. "Wait, I don't your name either. I only know Shane." Alex grinned.

"Oh, sorry." I laughed. "My other brother is Jason, by the way. And I'm Nate Gray."

"Nice to meet you, Nate Gray." Alex stuck her hand out towards me, smiling slightly. I shook her hand and we both laughed at each other for our stupidity.

To tell the truth, this was the first time I could finally have a friend to tell all of my secrets to. Alex understood how I felt every day; having to hide, never being known in existence of people because she felt the same way. We were like the same person…er, except for the fact that I was a boy and she was a girl.

I looked up and saw that she was a couple yards away from me. She turned around and caught my eye. She smiled and pointed to the ground.

I looked at the forest floor and made sure she wasn't pulling a prank on me. She left a note. I scanned through it quickly.

_Nate,_

_Let's hang out again tomorrow since neither of us can go to school or anything. Hope you can make it!_

_- The amazing Alex Russo :)_

-----

"Aww, how cute!" Caitlyn grinned. She was always the one who had to intrude in my life. She meant well, though. Always.

"Shut up. We're just friends." I rolled her eyes, flipping through an old book filled with pictures.

"For now anyway." Mitchie smirked. Oh, Mitchie. Teasing Mitchie. Loved her, yet I hated her at the same time.

"Seriously, let's drop it." I sighed, trudging up to my room. He was my first boy--er, GUY friend.

That made him…special, right?

-----

The moment I walked through the door, I was attacked with questions by my parents and my brothers.

"Nathaniel Gray, where in the world were you?!"

"We were all very worried. The government--"

"--Could've found you! Then who would I talk to about birds?"

"People, he was probably just too busy talking to--"

"Alex." I said quickly. "Well, it's late; I should be going to bed. 'Night!" I finished, running up the stairs.

After escaping from my family, I locked myself in my room, reading the note over and over again until I memorized it. I smiled, reading the way Alex signed the note. Never in my life have I met a girl like her.

Well, I haven't met a lot of girls in my life. So she was kind of special.

Definitely special, that Alex Russo.

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***READ A/N!

A/N: Awesome? Average? Below average? WAY below average? Tell me, 'cause I need to know! And please, please review! Would it kill some of you people to just leave a review? It doesn't have to a freakin' paragraph. Just write something. Reviews are what keep me writing. And if you read this whole rant of mine, put the word "orange" in your review. Thanks! ~J


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